Category Archives: Featured Photos

Moth Face

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

January 25, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I like the beard.

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Hatched Coreid Eggs

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

June 26, 2010 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

I spotted these hatched eggs while strolling through a local park. I like how they have a sort of dashed “break here to exit” line at one end. I also like how you can see the cell structure making up the eggs, a bunch of little hexagons. I only wished I’d found them before they hatched.

I’m not really happy with this photo. I really need some way to easily diffuse my flash in the field. Not only are there flash hotspots, but you can actually see a recognizable reflection of the camera on each shell. Nonetheless, I thought the eggs themselves were worthy of a post. read more

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Parasitic Wasp Stalking Tumbling Flower Beetle

Posted on July 3, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

June 14, 2009 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

As usual, I was working in the yard when I got distracted by some sort of dramatic natural scene. This time, I noticed that some magnolia blooms were literally crawling with tumbling flower beetles. Mostly, there was a lot of mating going on amongst the beetles. Then I noticed this little wasp that kept approaching various beetles, usually resulting in the beetle running off. Finally, she found one that was less wary. Above the wasp is closing in. Below, it appears she eventually made contact.

Contact

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Jumping Spider Subdues Carpenter Ant

Posted on July 3, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

June 16, 2009 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

I found this pair on a viburnum in my backyard. What looks like a male Phidippus whitmani has subdued what I assume is a winged reproductive carpenter ant.

I didn’t notice while I was taking pictures, but while reviewing them I saw that a little fly arrived to share in the spoils.

Fly arriving

Fly on ant

Posted in Easter Eggs, Featured Photos | 1 Comment

Tube-tailed Thrips

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

Tube-tailed thrips larvae | May 17, 2008 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

I spotted this scene on a small stump in my front yard. At the time I didn’t know what they were. After a bit of research, I determined they were tube-tailed thrips from the family Phlaeothripidae.

I assume there are so many because they’ve found a good food source, fungus perhaps. I’m curious as to why the larvae are orange-ish red. Occasionally I’d see a black adult like the one below, which definitely contrasts with the color of the larvae.

Adult

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